Yesterday morning the lot of our team headed out for a little fall road trip in Karyn’s Prius through the NB countryside. We were on the hunt for MapleHurst Farms near Salisbury. We had searched for “Turkey” in our new BuyLocalNB app. It is, afterall, heading into Thanksgiving weekend and we were curious about where in New Brunswick we could find locally-raised turkey for the dinner table. We were excited to tour a local farm and learn more about what it takes to raise a wide range of animals. It was a beautiful day to hit the road with the fall foliage in full bloom. Check out a short video of our trip at the end of this post!
We arrived greeted by farmer Jason Beaton and his very friendly dog Sal. Jason and his wife have had the farm for seven years, starting with only four chickens. We began our tour learning about the Irish Dexter grass-fed beef cows. Jason uses the animals to maintain the fields, starting with the cows who eat the grass in large clumps. Next, the sheep eat what’s left in a scissor-like motion. Lastly, the meat chickens break up the cow manure and fertilize the lawn. Before this field was filled with goldenrod and weeds, but now it is an open pasture for all the animals to feed on. This is a great example of permaculture: using natural principles to consciously design agricultural practices.
Next we got to meet Mashed Potato, a 1,000-pound boar basking in the sun. Pascale and Karyn received a little splash of mud and manure as the boar shook. We learned that these pigs are not used for meat but instead are great for clearing the land! The meat pigs are found in a different area on the farm and are very smart animals. Jason told us how they tried to escape their fenced area many times by piling up brush next to the fence.
Then we got to see turkeys! They had two different breeds: Bourbon Reds and Beltsville Whites. These turkeys were a medium-sized bird, about 19-lbs with 70% of their diet coming from grass. The turkeys will be delivered today to a local butcher in Memramcook for Thanksgiving.
In the winter time, Jason builds a greenhouse-like structure out of rebar and tarps to house the animals and keep them warm. These structures are also heated by compost, making them very cost-effective and sustainable!
Jason also has many sheep in the lower field. These sheep are Katahdin sheep which are a breed that shed their wool. After this we went inside the barn where Stephanie, Jason’s wife, breeds and sells various breeds of chicks. Silkie chickens, which get their name from feeling like silk, were the oddest-looking chickens we saw. An Ameraucana chicken was also in here which hatches green-blue eggs!
Next, Pascale and Karyn got to hold piglets! Junebug, the momma pig, had eight piglets a week ago. Piglets like to hide in the hay close to their mom to stay warm. We finished our tour of Maplehurst with a snack from a pesticide-free pear tree on their property!
On our way home, we stopped at the Green Pig Country Market in Salisbury. The market had a lot of fresh local produce and baked goods for sale! We also went through the corn maze, which Blair and Jon’s children loved! We had a great day out of the office and are excited to continue the promotion of local farmers and producers through our BuyLocalNB app! Where should we go next?!